BMH nurses urged to embrace innovation to improve patient care
DODOMA: NURSES have been urged to embrace innovative approaches, strengthen communication and promote teamwork to improve patient care and reduce preventable deaths in health facilities.
Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH) Chief Executive Officer, Professor Abel Makubi, made the call on Monday during a meeting with nurses at the Dodoma-based institution.
He said healthcare professionals needed to adapt to changing patient needs while upholding dignity, humility, respect and professionalism in their daily responsibilities.
Professor Makubi noted that changes in society and lifestyles had transformed patients’ expectations and healthcare needs, requiring nurses to move beyond traditional approaches and adopt more responsive and patient-centred methods.
“Life has changed, and the needs of today’s patients are different. We cannot continue using the same old approaches to caring for patients. We need to be innovative, keep pace with changing times and, above all, demonstrate greater humility in the way we serve our patients,” he said.
He stressed that quality healthcare went beyond administering medication and carrying out clinical procedures, noting that communication and interaction between healthcare workers and patients also played a critical role in determining treatment experiences and outcomes.
The BMH chief executive urged nurses to demonstrate courtesy and compassion through respectful language, timely service delivery and willingness to address patients’ concerns.
He further highlighted the importance of teamwork and effective communication among healthcare professionals, saying coordinated efforts were essential in ensuring timely interventions, improving treatment outcomes and preventing avoidable deaths.
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Professor Makubi also called for stronger infection prevention and control measures, urging nurses to maintain high standards of cleanliness in hospital wards and other areas where patients receive medical attention.
“A clean healthcare environment is fundamental to patient safety, as it helps minimise the risk of hospital-acquired infections and protects both patients and healthcare workers from preventable health complications,” he noted.
On patient information management, he emphasised the need for accurate collection, documentation and proper handling of medical records, saying reliable information was essential for clinical decisionmaking, continuity of care and improved treatment outcomes.
He identified customer care, infection prevention, reduction of preventable deaths, proper management of patient information and environmental cleanliness as key areas for assessing the quality of healthcare services.
He urged nurses to make the five priorities part of their daily professional conduct rather than treating them merely as institutional requirements.
BMH continues to prioritise patient safety, dignity, respect, environmental cleanliness and professional excellence as part of its efforts to improve healthcare delivery.
